Raleigh

Community-focused posts

There are 776 posts filed in Raleigh (this is page 24 of 78).

NextDoor and silos

Searching around this morning, I found this insightful comment on NextDoor which echoes my concerns. It was posted on a message board way back in October 2011:

How tragic that I could sign up to *heyneighbor.com* and *not* be connected to all my neighbours who happened to signed up to *nextdoor.com* And every new venture in this space could serve to silo people as much as it connects them. These business models contain paradox – they can only succeed in a neighbourhood if they have a monopoly.

There’s a lot of truth here.

via Post in Another one … NextDoor.com: Locals Online – For hosts of neighborhood e-lists, placeblogs, and community social nets: E-Democracy.org.

Nextdoor: the online version of a gated community

Nextdoor
Many of the neighborhoods in and around mine are signing up for the Nextdoor social media site to manage their neighborhood communication. Nextdoor is a social media site which provides a forum for neighbors to post. From Nextdoor’s About page:

Nextdoor is the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. It’s the easiest way for you and your neighbors to talk online and make all of your lives better in the real world. And it’s free.

Thousands of neighborhoods are already using Nextdoor to build happier, safer places to call home.

People are using Nextdoor to:

  • Quickly get the word out about a break-in
  • Organize a Neighborhood Watch Group
  • Track down a trustworthy babysitter
  • Find out who does the best paint job in town
  • Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost dog
  • Find a new home for an outgrown bike
  • Finally call that nice man down the street by his first name

Nextdoor’s mission is to bring back a sense of community to the neighborhood, one of the most important communities in each of our lives.

Sounds groovy, doesn’t it? The problem is with the fourth word in the description:

“Nextdoor is the private social network …”

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Dog restrictions

I was at work Friday, working my way through an increasing pile of work when I took a brief moment to check my Twitter account.

Yikes! WRAL’s Twitter feed had the headline “Raleigh considering pet ban in parks, on greenways.”

That’s just ridiculous and wrong.

The news media had latched on to a city press release that had a similarly-misleading headline: “Parks Committee Seeking Input on Possible Pet Ban in City Parks.” Though the gist of the press release was correct, the media saw “pet ban in parks” and assumed the worst.

Working as fast as I could, I tweeted back to WRAL that their headline was wrong and their story was misleading. To their credit, they promptly corrected the story but not before many, many of their Twitter followers had a tizzy.
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Raleigh police officer takes out the trash

I submitted this letter to the editor for the N&O today, hoping the word gets back to the officer involved. This 30 second interaction made my day.

As I drove south on Capital Boulevard Monday morning, I noticed a Raleigh Police officer a few cars ahead of me. Suddenly, traffic came to a halt as drivers avoided a bag of trash in the road. Though it was raining and the traffic was heavy, the officer took the time to stop, walk back to the trash, and remove it from the roadway.

It was another example of the pride and dedication shown each day by our men and women in uniform. Thank you, officer, for a job well done!

World’s largest midget?

Went out to dinner with some family friends when my friend leans over the table.

“I see you all the time on public access,” he tells me.

“Really?” I reply. This was news to me.

It brought up all kinds of questions, namely

  • there are people who actually watch public access
  • I’m friends with one of them, and
  • I have no clue what could be showing that has me in it.

I don’t have cable so the only time I can see what’s on Raleigh Television Network is the streaming the city does of its government channel. I might show up at an occasional city council meeting but more often than not there’s other stuff showing.

Being on public access all the time is kind of like being the world’s largest midget.

Neuse River Greenway Dedication

Neuse River Greenway Dedication, 25 Apr 2013

Neuse River Greenway Dedication, 25 Apr 2013

I had a great time speaking at yesterday’s Neuse River Greenway Dedication, where there were probably 200 people in attendance. I wore a suit because I was speaking, though I much rather would’ve preferred to be there in bike clothes as was Wake Commissioner Joe Bryan. I was second-to-last on the speaker’s list, behind Mayor Nancy McFarlane, Eugene Weeks, John Odom, Joe Bryan, Tony Tata, Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones, and Charles Meeker. Greenway planner Vic Lebsock batted clean-up before the ribbon was cut.

The suit wound up acting like a heat blanket, soaking up the sun on what was supposed to have been a cool, breezy day. Afterward I kept my jacket on too long and then went from the park to the hot gymnasium at Conn Elementary where I joined my family for the school’s Pizza and Pizzaz PTA event. By the time the show ended and I was stacking chairs I felt a bit dizzy and my muscles were cramping.

Yesterday’s greenway was one of the last major dedications I’ll speak at before my term as Parks board chair is over. It has been wonderful public speaking practice! I got lots of compliments on yesterday’s speech, too. After my term is over I’m not sure what I will do but the Parks board sure has been a lot of fun.

Seaboard slipping away

I learned last night that the bank that financed Seaboard Station was successful in flipping it from Chapter 11 bankruptcy to Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This means it will soon change hands, and William Peace University could certainly buy it, over the objections of the surrounding neighborhoods. Peace claims it has no plans to demolish it. Anytime soon, at least.

Citing “internal deadlines,” Peace president Debra Townsley said yesterday that Peace would not seek council approval again for municipal bonds. I think the university knows it would be fighting an uphill battle against the neighbors, who are still smarting over the university’s closing of Franklin Street years ago. There is still a lot of fence-mending there that needs to take place.

I hope the tenants there are safe. I would personally love to see a development firm buy the property as the retail interest at the property has never been stronger. The neighborhood watches with interest.

Russell Allen

I was surprised and saddened to hear that Russell Allen had been let go by the Raleigh City Council. Russell was as responsive as you’d want any city manager to be; I can’t recall a single time I sent him an email and he did not respond. I know many others contacted him about issues and he would respond, often no matter how big or small the problem was.

Russell led the city through some of its biggest growth and through some of its greatest financial challenges. He’s always been a professional, and as even those who clashed with him will attest, you always knew where you stood with him.

He made some fantastic hires with the city’s other leaders, picking great police chiefs, planning staff, and other crucial roles. It doesn’t matter what else the city has going for it, Without a great staff it won’t deliver on its promise.

I expect Russell will soon be snatched up by another city looking for a great manager. I wish him well and look forward to learning more about the Council’s decision and points of view.

Is Peace University plotting to demolish Seaboard Station?

The neighbors are up in arms about rumors that William Peace University (formerly Peace College) is interested in buying the popular Shops at Seaboard Station. The retail space has finally turned a corner with a thriving mix of shops and restaurants, becoming a community focal point in the process. The rumors allege that Peace wants to purchase the property and slowly drain it of its tenants, after which it will demolish the complex to provide space for expanding its campus.

Here’s what the Mordecai CAC had to say:

MCAC Community:

You may be hearing about some changes in the works for the Shops at Seaboard and the possibility that William Peace University is interested in buying that property. We’d like to tell you what we know, what we don’t know, and what we’re trying to find out!

1. First, WPU is requesting permission from the City Council to seek financing through the issuance of tax-exempt bonds to be issued by the Public Finance Authority located in the State of Wisconsin. As part of the process, City Council will hold a public hearing on the bonds at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Apr 16) at City Hall. According to the attorney’s memo, the educational facilities revenue bonds would not exceed $16 million, and would be used to refinance existing loans at lower interest rates, to renovate Finley and Ross Residence Halls, construct a new residence hall on campus, construct Delway Street adjacent to the campus, and other projects. (See attached memo.) These bonds, if approved, MUST be used for the purposes as stated.
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Downtown renaissance

Since Friday night was the last of our “date nights” before the kids came home from staying with Kelly’s parents, Kelly and I rode our bikes into downtown Raleigh for First Friday festivities.

Walking along a bustling, closed-off section of Hargett Street in front of the Raleigh Times, I had to stop for a moment and soak in the experience.

“You know,” I told Kelly, “I remember touring this downtown one summertime Friday night in 1987 and it was an absolute ghost town. I mean, there was nothing open and nothing going on.”

Seeing the sidewalks filled with happy citizens was quite the contrast to the empty, scary downtown still locked in my memory for 26 years. What an incredible transformation that has taken place in Raleigh since the time I met this city and later called it home. I’m proud to have been here and being a part of this transformation.